Snapshots: Illinois farm family, 1930s

 4H Club in Urbana, Ill

I bought an old photo album the other day, made up of snapshots covering years from 1923 to 1940. They were taken by an unnamed young woman of her family and neighbors in an Illinois farming community.

I decided to scan and show some of the pictures because I have at least a couple of names, and the way the internet works someday someone may google one or more of those names and find photos of their relatives on this site. If they do they're free to print them.

Remember to click on the pictures to make them big.

 1923 Anton Koch

1938 Amelia Koch in Port Byron, Ill

 Anton Koch and Lottie Judice 1938

I enlarged the photos, which improves them. Some of the photos, stuck in a photo album (I've got a sample page here) have the negatives right behind the pictures.

One even had the note, “Norma wants this one.” I've attached the note. Looks like Norma didn't get it, but I did. If Norma is still around she can at least download the picture.

 Norma wants this one. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bownlow (? — it's a bit hard to decipher that name.)

Calfs and Norma

Despite many of the dates on the pictures being during the Depression years of the 1930s it doesn't look like this Illinois farm family is hurting. There are two pictures of a new barn, one picture of it under construction, and the other when it’s finished.

The new barn 1936

 1936 new barn

America went from being rural and agricultural to urban and suburban after World War II. There are still family farms in this country, but I don't know if the Illinois farm, of which we get some glimpses in these pictures, is still in existence.

 Rock River  Dad and I in car going over

Children posing in field

Queen one week old

Girl with donkey (Queen?)

Dorothy, a small woman with a big car.

Alta and Cyril on their wedding day